How to Use the Images

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The type of slave cabin pictured is known as a single pen, a structure that is usually 16 or 18 feet by 16 feet with a chimney at one end. Sometimes a loft was reached by ladder and used for storage or as a sleeping room for children. Slave cabins generally were grouped together on a "street" with several cabins facing each other across a lane. Cabins for slaves who worked in the plantation house would have been fairly close to the house. Cabins for slaves who were field hands were located near the rice fields.

Questions for Photo 3

1) How would you describe this house in comparison to the plantation house pictured in Photo 1?

2) Measure out an area the size of a typical single pen slave cabin. Try to imagine what it might have been like for an entire family to share a living space this size.

3) Why do you think so few slave cabins remain today?

* The image on the screen has a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of Photo 3, but be aware that the entire file will take about 45 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.

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